For precise and/or long manual operations, such as neurosurgical operations, there are known arm support apparatuses for supporting an arm an operator, such as a doctor that performs surgical operations. An example of these arm support apparatuses is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H10-272163, referred to as a first patent publication. An arm support apparatus disclosed in the first patent publication is equipped with a movable multijoint arm having a mount portion at an end thereof. The forearm of an operator's arm is fixedly mounted on the mount portion with a belt, which allows the mount portion to follow motion of the supported arm. The arm support apparatus is configured to lock the movable multijoint arm when a foot switch is operated by the operator, thus preventing motion of the mount portion.
The arm support apparatus disclosed in the first patent publication necessitates unfastening and fastening the belt each time the operator's arm is dismounted from the mount portion for mount of instrument, such as tweezers, on a table. This may result in the operator's usability of the arm support apparatus deteriorating.
In order to address such a problem, there is known an arm support apparatus, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-291363, referred to as a second patent publication.
The arm support apparatus disclosed in the second patent publication is configured to urge the mount portion upward from the lower side of the mount portion to bring the mount portion into contact with the forearm of an operator's arm. This configuration permits the mount portion to follow movement of the operator's arm based on frictional resistance between the forearm of the operator's arm and the mount portion.